It’s the time of year for resolutions or, as Jeff Goins writes at Zenhabits, for “sustainable habits.” If reading more is among your resolutions, one way is to join a reading challenge.
Words and Peace blog links to two dozen themed challenges. One that intrigued me is “Books Published in the First Years of My Life.” Sarah Reads Too Much is hosting the Back to the Classics Challenge, and Jillian at A Room of One’s Own hopes to read “books I started but didn’t finish” in 2012.
Last year I reached The Europa Challenge‘s Ami level by reading fourteen Europa Editions. Europa publishes “literary fiction, high-end mystery and noir, and narrative non-fiction from around the world.” I’ve enjoyed expanding my literary horizons, so this year I’m going for Cafe Luongo level. Like many reading challenges, The Europa Challenge fosters discussion via its blog, Twitter feed, and Goodreads group.
Goodreads encourages members to define their own 2012 Reading Challenge. Books On the Nightstand “12 in 2012” challenge participants also customize their goals, such as reading twelve books in a particular genre or twelve books they already own. Another challenge posted at Goodreads is “Around the World (in 52 Books)” which sounds daunting but very appealing.
If you’re just interested in making more time to read, emulate Ann Kingman. On Books on the Nightstand’s podcast #161, she mentioned her plan to read for an hour every morning. “25 Literary Resolutions” at the Los Angeles Times’ Jacket Copy blog, includes time-related ideas.
A habit I hope to form in 2012 is reading in tandem with my teen, who doesn’t want me to read aloud, but is amenable to the idea of reading and discussing the same book. She has also challenged me to re-read the Harry Potter books, which I am starting today.
What are your reading resolutions?
The Nocturnal Librarian 